September 16th- I am thinking about my MOM!

MY MOM

September 16th is a special day to me for 2 reasons

#1 Today is my mom's birthday.

She was born in 1924 and would be 85 today.

This is Kimberlee Loy , named after my mom,

"Alois Evelyn Lewellyn

(Babb) McKnight".

My mom's given name was Alois, but everyone

that loved her called her "Loy"(0r mom, or grandma Loy)

Kimberlee was the only baby I had ,that I did not have my mother there

with me while I was in the hospital.

She had come to all the other births, being in the delivery room for Eric and Jonny. (but due to an

emergency C-section with Eric, she only got to see Jonny's)

On the day of Kimmy's birth, my

mom was on her way to

Houston Texas. She wanted to see if "MD Anderson" Cancer Clinic could

help her. She had cancer in her liver.

2 years prior to this, she had been

diagnosed with

breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, then later a mastectomy, and then another surgery to do

reconstruction. She had tests every few months to make sure she was cancer clear. But on

December 1, 1993, I was sitting on her bed (6 1/2 months pregnant) when she got a call from her oncologist telling her that the most recent tests showed cancer had spread to her liver.

She was devastated, and so was I.

6 weeks later, I delivered a premature baby girl, C-section, due to placenta previa.

I didn't know how I was going to get along with 6 kids,

a big incision on my belly, and no mom.

The Dr. kept Kimberlee in the hospital and sent me home to rest and recuperate. I was pretty

sad to say the least. I wanted my mom, and I wanted my baby,

I awoke the next morning realizing how much I

was being blessed. I had just had a FULL night's sleep. The nurses at the hospital were being the substitute for my mom. They fed the baby,

changed the baby, etc. while I slept, and recuperated................. What a tender mercy in my time

of despair............. I was grateful.

Kimberlee was tiny, as you can see here. About 5 1/2 lbs.

My mom did find help at MD Anderson. They started her on

chemo for the first time ever. She had significant shrinkage of the tumors.

The next 3 years would be ones of difficulty for

her, but SHE WAS HERE, and I was so thankful for every day.

Kimberlee "Loy" was a favorite for sure during this hard time.

My mom gave it all she had, and she went down fighting, on November 16,1996 she passed away, all the while saying "huh-uh",meaning "no, no, no", she REALLY did not want to go.

Here are some pictures of her and I over the

years. She and I had our troubles, pretty much

like any spoiled brat teenage daughter and loving

mother would,..... but I knew she was my best friend. I could tell her anything, but of course,

didn't, because I did too many stupid things. I would have been better off to tell her though, because she grounded me for weeks and months

at a time when she did find out.

Why did I think she was NOT going to find out??

Heavenly Father ALWAYS will tell a mother, sooner or later :)

Reason # 2 that this day is special to me is that on September 16, 2005,

my sister, 2 of my brothers, and I went to the Las Vegas Temple,(I KNOW this is San Diego, but I didn't have one of Vegas, so sue me, lol)and gave mom a birthday present. We had our dad baptized, and did the sealing for the two of them together and then had 4 of their 5 children sealed together.

4 down, 1 to go.............someday we will all be together forever, I am looking forward to it!!

Happy Birthday Mom, I miss you .............very much! Love 4-ever, Karen